The ACHA 2017 Distinguished Teaching Award presented to Dr. Jeffrey M. Burns of the Franciscan School of Theology and the University of San Diego
Receiving his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame where he was a Cushwa Fellow and a student of Jay P. Dolan, Jeffrey Burns returned to his native California where he began his teaching career. He has taught at St. Patrick’s Major Seminary in Menlo Park, the Franciscan School of Theology-Berkeley, and at a branch of the University of California State system. Presently he teaches for the Franciscan School of Theology, Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside, California, and for the University of San Diego.
While he did all this, he was also the archivist of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Later, he was asked to head the American Academy of Franciscan History.
Burns is a creative and popular teacher. His easy-going ways and his willingness to go the extra mile to help students has earned him much praise.
At FST-Oceanside, he currently teaches the “History of the Immigrant Church in the US”, “Modern Social Justice”, and the “History of Evangelization and Mission since 1492”. Because he is well grounded in US Catholic history and the author of a number works of local and national import, he brings a depth and a precision to his teaching. He has had a powerful impact on the lives of many of the students who passed through his classes.
Jeff dedicates himself to an honest, but loving concern for “real history” which he understands “is an important tool for the Church.” As he explains: “We cannot live in a make believe past or approach the future with an inadequate historical understanding. We must honestly confront the past. It is my hope that my courses and scholarship provide this necessary tool.”
It is for his many years of service to the church and its people as an instructor, mentor and teacher of Catholic history that the American Catholic Historical Association presents its 2017 Distinguished Teaching Award to Jeffrey M. Burns.